Chains of Separation
by Kat Warrior1
Summary: During a battle with Mystique, Nightcrawler is wounded for Amanda's sake and taken away from his teammates. How will the Xmen handle themselves thinking one of their own to be dead? What's happening to the wounded Kurt?
1. Chapter One

Separation  
Part One: The Day The Sun Stopped Shining  
Kat Warrior  
  
OK, this is the short chapter. And unless you've read my last fanfic,  
"Someone to Watch Over Me" you'll be confused.  
  
Kurt Wagner yawned loudly, showing his upper and lower rows of sharp, pointed teeth as he plopped over backwards onto his bed. The feeling of the cool, white sheets and the soft mattress colliding with his blue fur was beyond refreshing. He and the other X-Men had had quite the day trying to keep up with the Brotherhood and conceal their identities as best they could.  
  
He opened his closed amber eyes when he remembered something. his bedroom light. To save himself the trouble of getting up and going to the light switch and then tripping on his way back to the bed in the dark, he simply teleported to the switch and back to his bed again. Unfortunately, his aim was off and he wound up on the floor beside his bed.  
  
"Woo! I must be more tired than I thought," he grunted as his pulled himself onto the bed. "I can't even teleport across the room properly!"  
  
He finally rolled over on his side and pulled the blankets up to his chin, now facing the digital clock. It was almost eleven, but that was no wonder. He had arrived home late from stopping a terrorist and then had to finish a truck load of homework. Sometimes he wished that the Xavier Institute provided private schooling, but that would make them appear even more suspicious to the public.  
  
With his mind wandering, Kurt finally fell asleep.  
  
***  
  
"Kurt, are you OK?" Amanda asked her friend at lunch. "You don't look so well."  
  
"That's because I don't feel so well," he admitted, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes.  
  
"Not just because of Biology Lab today, huh?" she asked, still looking concerned.  
  
"What happened in biology?" Kitty asked, not knowing what could have taken place to make her teammate ill. Liz was quiet, looking at Kurt with concern. She had gotten over her own fear of dissecting things in Biology because of his encouragement, so what had bothered him?  
  
"We dissected earthworms today and Kurt was my partner. Some of the other students and the teacher kept referring to them as 'night crawlers' and it made him sorta uneasy." Amanda tried to explain without bringing back the memory too vividly for her boyfriend.  
  
"And the smell didn't help any," Kurt added with a sigh. "I almost lost my breakfast!"  
  
"No wonder you're not eating like you usually do," Jean murmured. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Geez," Liz thought, cringing. "And I thought I had it bad my second day here when we dissected the frogs..."  
  
"Thanks," Kurt mumbled as he continued to play with his food.  
  
"So, what's the other reason you don't look so well?" Amanda asked, getting back on topic. "Is there anything I can do?"  
  
"I was up too late," he sighed in reply. "I'm thinking of taking a nap today in study hall." Since he didn't think he could eat much more, he dismissed himself.  
  
"I think there's somethin' else bothering him," Rogue mumbled, jabbing her fork into her food.  
  
"What?" Kitty asked, not sure what else could be wrong with her furry friend.  
  
"Mother's Day is this weekend," Rogue pointed out and didn't say a thing more. She didn't have to.  
  
***  
  
After lunch, things seemed to go like normal at Bayville High. Everyone either went to or skipped their afternoon classes like usual, and there was the common chatter in the halls in between classes. Until the beginning of the last hour...  
  
Scott was busy reading out of the government book when he heard some of the kids murmuring something near the window. He glanced over, trying to act nonchalant. He was quite startled to see Mystique outside, but he looked quickly away from the window as if it was no big deal. After closing his book, he got up and asked permission to use the restroom.  
  
"Guys, I think we need to be outside in uniform," Scott panted into his watch.  
  
"I know," Kurt's voice informed him as there was a BAMF! not far away. "My study hall is right next door to your class and I sit by the window. I saw what was going on."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Ja. The Brotherhood and their ringleader are here to settle some scores with us X-Men. But we can't fight them out there. We need to take this where no one will see who we really are."  
  
***  
  
Kurt, in his Nightcrawler form, teleported out to where Mystique was and tried talking her into relocating the battle somewhere more private. He alone could do this, being the only X-Man who would be unrecognizable in uniform. The fact that Kat Warrior was still very early in training also made him the only candidate.  
  
"We must move this fight elsewhere," he pleaded, shuddering as he spoke to the woman he could hardly stand. "Innocent people could be seriously hurt."  
  
"So much like your foster parents," Mystique sneered. "So...soft. Very well then, let's take this to gym, shall we?"  
  
Before Nightcrawler could blink, Mystique had vanished, likely taking on the form of an organism small enough to scurry into the school unnoticed. He turned to the sound of chattering to see some students peering and hanging out of the windows of the school, trying to see what was happening.  
  
"He did it! He made her leave!" someone cried victoriously.  
  
"No! He's in league with her! They're both going to kill us all!" someone else declared.  
  
Kurt sighed and teleported to the gym, not wanting to hear anymore.  
  
***  
  
Upon arriving, the blue-furred mutant was surprised to see the brotherhood, Mystique, and all the other X-Men gathered; and the members of each team were busy locking the doors, likely to keep the other students out of harm.  
  
"Well, X-Men," Mystique hissed. "Shall we commence?"  
  
"She's up to something," Kurt thought. "Why would she come here just for a fight? There's got to be another reason."  
  
***  
  
"You've paid me well, Mystique," Karl Ravens murmured from his hiding place under the benches in the gym as he aimed his small gun. "I won't let you down..."  
  
But who would he hit? She wanted him to shoot at least two of the X-Men to get them out of commission and out of her way. She had warned him not to take out the blue furry one or the girl with white streaks in her hair, threatening his life if he did so. That left very few other choices...  
  
***  
  
Liz Richards growled to herself as she sat on the grass outside the school on the field along with the rest of the student body. Well, most of it anyway. A few kids were missing, and she knew every one of them: Evan, Rogue, Jean, Scott, and Kurt. It bothered her that she couldn't be in the school helping as Kat Warrior, but none of the other new recruits had been allowed to, either. At least that made the Xavier institute look less suspicious. She needed to find a way to ease her boredom, now...perhaps she should speak to Amanda.  
  
She scanned the group of sophomores and then the whole crowd before coming to a horrible realization. Amanda was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"She must have stayed in the school! This is terrible! She can't defend herself!" Liz thought desperately. "But what'll I do? I know she'll be miffed at me if I snitch her out and tell the teachers she in there...but wouldn't the teachers already know that? Should I go in for her or trust Kurt to take care of her if she finds him? Well, at least she's not from the Xavier Institute. If one of the 'normal kids' is missing, it'll make us look less suspicious..."  
  
***  
  
Amanda panted as she made her way down the dark, deserted hallways. She just had to find Kurt, even if it was only to tell him that she loved him and ask him to try to be careful. She had seen him talking to the blue- skinned woman and was likely one of the only students who knew what was going on.  
  
"The gym," she murmured. "They have to be in the gym..." She ran up to one of the doors and peered cautiously through. Yes, there they were. Kurt was fighting with Todd Tolensky...she tried the door but couldn't budge it. There had to be another way!  
  
***  
  
"Give it up, ya stuffed animal," Toad sneered at Nightcrawler. "Da Brotherhood ain't walking away from here with their tails between their legs."  
  
"Neither are the X-Men!" Kurt argued just before teleporting out of the path of Todd's long, sticky tongue. He couldn't help but wonder how he always wound up fighting with Toad.  
  
Toad leapt onto Nightcrawler, knocking him over. The younger mutant grunted as he hit the gym floor, but he soon recovered and used his large feet to kick Toad off of him and into a wall. Todd hit the wall with his feet and used the impact to launch himself off again and right back at Kurt, who had just finished standing.  
  
Kurt side-stepped Todd easily, but the older boy turned and shot his long tongue out at Kurt before the blue mutant had a chance to turn around and face him. Nightcrawler gasped in disgust and lack or air when the warm, slimy appendage wrapped itself around his thin, furry neck.  
  
"Say bye-bye, Fuzz-boy," Toad taunted, even with his tongue occupied. He wasn't going to kill him, of course. He didn't want Mystique to kill him in return. But if he could cut off Nightcrawler's air supply long enough for him to go unconscious, capturing him could be a snap.  
  
Kurt grunted and gasped as he clawed at Toad's tongue with his gloved fingers. He was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder and his body fazing right out of Toad's grip.  
  
"Kitty?" he questioned, turning around to see the young brunette smiling at him.  
  
"You're welcome," she said, and then she hurried off to help someone else.  
  
***  
  
Amanda grunted as she tried the cafeteria entrance to the gym. No, that didn't work, either. She had tried every entrance possible! Or had she? She suddenly remembered that there was a door outside leading to the storage area behind the gym's bleachers. She could get there easily by going through the outside door of the cafeteria.  
  
In no time, she had left the cafeteria and was prying open the back entrance to the gymnasium. It hadn't been locked, but it was heavy and seriously needed to be oiled. After what seemed like forever, she had it open just enough to squeeze through.  
  
She grunted as she popped into the gym and hit the floor. She quickly recovered and began looking for a way to get in front of the bleachers. After picking through various pieces of sports equipment, she found herself in a passage right next to the bleachers. She crouched down, getting a good look at the battle. Amid the chaos, she soon spotted Kurt. He was hard to miss, being the only X-Man with blue fur and a tail. He was still going at it pretty good with Todd Tolensky, and it looked like he might actually be winning.  
  
Amanda spotted something under the bleachers, and she couldn't help but wonder what it was. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a man with a gun. Kurt and his friends were in more danger than they thought! She had to do something!  
  
She looked up and noticed that Kurt and Todd were slowly making their way in her direction. Maybe she could get Kurt's attention and warn him...  
  
"Kurt!" she called out, leaping from her hiding spot and dashing to his side. Nightcrawler and Toad each stopped, looking quizzically at the girl.  
  
"Yo! This is mutants only!" Todd protested. "Unless she's another X-Dope we didn't know about."  
  
"Amanda?" Kurt gasped. "How'd you get in here?"  
  
"The back door," she admitted. "I had to come see you and tell you something, but I have more important news, now. There's a man with a gun under the bleachers! You and your friends are in real trouble!"  
  
***  
  
"That brat's blowing my cover!" Karl growled. "Congratulations, Girly, you just earned yourself the prize...a free body piercing!"  
  
His finger pressed in on the trigger.  
  
***  
  
"Amanda! Look out!" Kurt cried, throwing her out of the way. He didn't have time to blink, let alone teleport, before a bulled hit him in the center of his chest. He cried out in pain and shock as he fell limply to the ground.  
  
Amanda screamed and everyone, even the Brotherhood members, turned to see what had happened. After the moment of shock, the X-Men rushed over, though none could beat the speed of Mystique.  
  
Kurt moaned as the gymnasium whirled around him, and faces became blurred. Voices...all ringing through his head...the last thing he saw Amanda's face, tears streaming from her eyes.  
  
***  
  
Liz looked up at the sky past the brim of her black cap in curiosity. Clouds were moving in out of seemingly nowhere and blocking out the sun. Odd, there hadn't been a cloud in the sky until now...  
  
"Storm?"  
  
***  
  
Mystique rose to her feet, the limp and bleeding Kurt in her arms.  
  
"Brotherhood, move out," she ordered darkly. As the Brotherhood made a mad dash for the door, Mystique took on the form of a griffin and flew out of the smashed skylight of the gymnasium, still with Nightcrawler in her arms. Blood dripped from the injured boy to the floor.  
  
The X-Men could only stare as their dear comrade was taken away from them. 


	2. Chapter Two: Mourning and Awakening

Chains of Separation  
Part Two: Mourning and Awakening  
Kat Warrior  
  
What happened to Kurt after being taken by Mystique is revealed, but the X-  
Men are certain that they have lost a comrade. How will those who were  
closest to him handle it?  
  
That weekend, the Xavier Institute was silent with shock. Barely anyone spoke on the halls, and everyone kept mainly to their rooms. They couldn't help but think that they had totally failed Kurt.  
  
Karl had been left behind by Mystique and was arrested by the police, being the only one left in the gym by the time they arrived. The X-Men and Amanda were said to have gotten lost in the halls when the building was evacuated, the lights shut off, and the doors locked. Kurt's disappearance, however, was harder to explain. The others made up the excuse that he had been held hostage, wounded, but managed to get out of the gym and run to the institute because he was afraid of hospitals.  
  
Ororo was sleeping lightly Saturday night, tossing and turning in her concern for the young Kurt. She had arrived too late to stop Mystique. She could have knocked the griffon out of the air with her powers, but that could have killed her captive.  
  
The tall, dark woman raised her head when she heard footsteps in the hall. It really didn't surprise her that others were having trouble sleeping. After all, Kurt had only been taken from them yesterday. She got up and wrapped her robe sloppily about her shoulders before peering out of her bedroom door.  
  
"Elizabeth?" she whispered in quizzical surprise as she discovered the violet-furred girl on the floor. "Why aren't you in your room?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep," she whimpered, hugging her knees to her chest and clutching her prized purple teddy bear tightly. "I kept thinking about..."  
  
"Kurt?" Ororo finished, easing herself down on the floor beside the younger girl. "I know. Most of us can't stop thinking about it. We have to pull ourselves together."  
  
***  
  
Mystique closed her eyes, temporarily blocking out the image of her suffering son. His fair face was contorted into pain, despite his unconsciousness. Perhaps it was better that way, as the hired doctor working the bullet out of his chest would have unintentionally caused him a great deal more pain.  
  
The blue-skinned shape-shifter gently pressed the cool cloth to Kurt's forehead. Sweat was soaking through the silky blue fur, dampening the sheet he had been placed on.  
  
"Can't you work any faster?" Mystique demanded with a hiss.  
  
"Only if you want him dead," came the doctor's reply in his low, quite voice. "Removing a bullet from the sternum is difficult, as I'm at risk at causing him even more damage."  
  
Mystique sighed and sat back. Normally, she would be venting her anger on all possible subjects, but now was no time for that. Her son lay at the hands of death and a doctor. They were in the back room of a hospital, although not legally. No one knew they were there. If they were discovered, her hired lackey doctor would be arrested, and the mutants with him confined for some study. Of course, Kurt would likely die before the scientists could do a thing to him.  
  
The Brotherhood sat or stood by the door of the room they were in, glancing every now and then where the doctor was with Mystique and Nightcrawler. None of them were really worried about the X-Man. They just wanted to go home, wherever home was. Their leader had informed them that they were re- locating to a far-off base where Professor Xavier's mental powers would be unable to find Nightcrawler. Of course, none of the Brotherhood knew where it was...  
  
"Done," the doctor sighed, wiping the sweat off his own forehead. "The bullet's been removed, and he's been stitched together and bandaged. Now he just needs somewhere to rest and heal..."  
  
"Which is where we're going," Mystique interrupted. She stood, morphing into a giant eagle. Kurt was handed to the doctor, and the normally blue female metamorph motioned for her lackeys to get on her back. She took to flight, rushing out the back door and using the small strip of land for a runway.  
  
***  
  
Kurt moaned and tried to roll over on his side, but the shock of sudden pain prevented it. He sat up almost immediately, confused and wondering why he was in so much pain and where he was.  
  
"The gymnasium," he recalled. "I was shot...but I should be dead! And where am I? This isn't my room..."  
  
"Well, the boy awakens," an eerie, familiar voice murmured. "It's about time, my dear Kurt."  
  
Kurt cringed not only from the sting in his chest but also from the other presence in the room. So, his mother had taken him after he'd been wounded. He was surprised that she had bothered to have him bandaged and placed in a comfortable bed. He had expected her to finish the job.  
  
"It's nice to have you here," she continued in a tone that couldn't be deciphered as kind or cruel. She walked over to the small bed he was on and sat down on the edge. She smiled, but Kurt couldn't help but shudder. He didn't like this woman who had given birth to him, but he couldn't help feeling guilty over that. She was his mother, after all. As much as he wanted to love her, it was difficult. She had not only tried to kill his friends on a number of occasions, but she had also thrown him into a river when he was an infant. What kind of mother was she?  
  
"Why did you take me?" he heard himself asking. "Why didn't you just leave me there? They could have taken good care of me."  
  
"Mother knows best," she replied flatly. "You're being taken good care of here under my supervision. As much as you might disagree, I know you better than most of the people at the institute. You're in good hands."  
  
Kurt didn't look convinced. He looked down at his three-fingered hands, resting idly in his lap. Maybe, just maybe he could believe that she really wanted to take care of him.  
  
"Lie back down," she commanded calmly. "The doctor said that you need to rest in order to recover properly." Mystique stood, allowing him to slowly and painfully ease down back into the mattress. She pulled the blanket up to about his shoulders and then turned and left the room.  
  
As soon as she had gone, Kurt sighed in relief and frustration. Her presence made him nervous, and he was glad to see her go; but he was also still stuck with her. He had no clue where he was, making him unable to teleport, and doing so might make his condition worse, anyway. He was trapped, basically a well-kept prisoner.  
  
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he couldn't help thinking about...them, the loved ones who were either worried sick or thought him dead. The first person to enter his head was Amanda, followed by his teammates, the adults at the institute, the trainees, and lastly Elizabeth. Of all them, Amanda and Liz hung in his mind the most. He had a romantic attachment to Amanda, and he was like a mentor to Elizabeth, the one he often addressed as Violet One. Surely those two would miss him the most.  
  
***  
  
Liz sighed as she strolled along the street, watching the cement under her sneakers. She'd just had to get out of the mansion and get away from the chilling, gloomy silence of the halls. She missed Kurt, too, and felt in her heart that he was truly dead, like her parents. But she couldn't let that grief plague her forever.  
  
She glanced up when she thought she saw Amanda out of the corner of her eye. Yes, there was the dark-skinned girl, sitting on a bench just on the outskirts of the park. She had a bag in her lap and looked like she was throwing bread for some pigeons.  
  
Liz sighed and walked over to her, feeling that Amanda needed some company.  
  
"Hi," she greeted quietly when she came up to the bench. She didn't ask "How are you?" as the answer was obvious.  
  
"Oh, hi Liz," was the unenthusiastic reply. The pigeons fluttered away momentarily, startled by Liz's sudden appearance. With most people they weren't so skittish, but she smelled too much like a cat for them to not be cautious.  
  
Ignoring, them, Liz plopped down on the bench not too far from Amanda. She sighed, leaning back with her hands in the pockets of her baggy khaki pants. She lifted her hat from her face a little so she could see her surroundings better.  
  
"You come here often?" Liz finally asked, glancing at Amanda.  
  
"Kurt and I did," she replied quietly. "We'd feed the birds and the goldfish that live in the fountain. Sometimes, when there weren't any kids around, he'd push me on the swing."  
  
"Must be nice, having so many good memories of him," Liz sighed, watching people go this way and that on the sidewalk. "I didn't get to know him as long as you did. I think my best memories are of my second day at Bayville when he comforted me after Biology Class, and that time he and I snuck down into the kitchen for a midnight snack."  
  
Amanda looked up. "He did that?"  
  
"Oh sure," Liz continued. "He told me he was an expert at it, but there weren't many sugary foods in the cupboards, so we both ended up with bananas. He seemed kinda disappointed that he had gone through all that work for fruit he didn't like much."  
  
Amanda giggled, covering her mouth. "It must have been nice, getting to see him day in and day out. I wish I could live there, especially if it meant getting to be a mutant."  
  
"Getting?" Liz repeated quizzically. "I thought most humans considered it a disease or something."  
  
"Only most," Amanda pointed out. "I'd love to be one of you, especially if it meant being with Kurt."  
  
"Right now, all of us would give anything to see Kurt again," Liz pointed out, "but it's really nice to meet a human who feels that way. You're a truly kind person, willing to give up being liked by regular humans just to be with the boy you love. That takes courage, too."  
  
"Thanks," Amanda murmured, tossing more bread crumbs to the birds. She crumpled up the empty bag and put it in her pocket.  
  
"You wanna go somewhere?" Liz asked, suddenly standing and startling the birds away. "The other girls and I were gonna stop and get gut-bombs in honor of Kurt."  
  
"Sure," Amanda replied, also standing. "It would be an honor to meet all of his female friends. Ya know, find out more about him."  
  
The two girls started off down the street as the sun began to sink behind the distant hills. 


	3. Chapter Three: Bonding Time

Chains of Separation  
Part Three: Bonding Time  
Kat Warrior  
  
Mystique reveals her softer side around her son, and Kurt finally meets  
someone in his "prison" that he can trust. Meanwhile, the X-Men hold services for their lost friend and realize how important he was to their  
team.  
  
Mystique watched silently from the doorway as her son lay on his bed, in a fetal position with the blanket wrapped peculiarly around his body and appendages. He hadn't been sleeping well at all since she had brought him to her knew hide-out.  
  
As she neared him, she heard soft whimpers coming from his throat, and noted beads of sweat looking very much like dew on his fair face. The blue- skinned woman sighed and leaned over. She started to carefully disentangle her son from the blankets, noting how warm his furry skin felt under her fingers. She was sure that he had a higher body temperature than most people, but not that high. he had a fever.  
  
Mystique rose to her full height and sighed, looking over her son as he slept, now laying on his back and well-covered by the blanket. Even with her limited medical knowledge, she could tell it would be quite a while before he recovered.  
  
***  
  
Amanda sighed heavily as she exited the Xavier Institute. Kurt's service had been held there in the lobby, and had been attended by a sparse few. In fact, she had been the only one there who didn't live at the institute. Of course, no other non-mutants would have shown up to bid the furry blue boy a final farewell. But something really bothered Amanda. How could Kurt be dead? They had seen him get shot, but hadn't been able to tell if he was dead yet or not. And who knew? That unusual shape shifting woman might have helped him. But the X-Men were certain. Professor Xavier and Jean hadn't been able to pick up his mental waves anywhere.  
  
Drying her eyes on her handkerchief, Amanda started her lonely walk home. She would have given anything for Kurt to be there with her, to ease the lump in her throat and what felt like a crack in her heart. She wanted to put her arm through his again and fell the velvety fur under her dark skin. She just wanted him.  
  
"Why did you do that?" she whispered to the wind, "You're teammates miss you so much. it should have been me."  
  
***  
  
Kurt forced his eyes open when he heard someone entering his room. His amber orbs darted around, trying to find out who had come in. Was it Mystique or a member of the Brotherhood? No, it was neither, unless Mystique had changed form or there was a new member in the Brotherhood.  
  
"Don't be afraid of me, Lad," the strange man said, "I'm only a humble doctor, hired by Mystique to care for her boys so I can pay the rent. It's not the best job, but it puts bread on the table and keeps a roof over my head."  
  
"I see," Kurt sighed, allowing the built-up uneasiness to seep out of his body. He sank his raised, heavy head back into the pillow, but kept his eyes on the stranger. "What's your name?" he finally asked, trying to be friendly.  
  
"Louis," the man replied with a smile as he seated himself on a stool by the bed. "I came in to change the bandages on your wound and give you some pain-killers. Judging by Mystique's description, you're pretty miserable."  
  
"Yeah," Kurt admitted with a sigh of defeat, "I won't be too pig-headed to admit I'm in pain."  
  
"I'm glad," Louis chuckled, "You have no idea what it's like trying to care for those other boys and that girl Tabitha. They have too much pride to think they need help." Louis had pulled the blankets down to about Kurt's waist, and was expertly and carefully cutting them away. Before long, the wound was exposed.  
  
Until then, Kurt hadn't seen the source of his pain. It was stitched with a surprising amount of perfection, almost knit together like a priceless clothing article. Some blood had seeped through onto the bandage, but the patch of furless, bare skin didn't appear to be swollen at all.  
  
"You're very good," Kurt grunted as he struggled to sit up, allowing Louis to wrap the new bandage around his torso, "I expected it to be swollen with puss and blood pouring out."  
  
"You've got quite an imagination," Louis said with a laugh, "I was able to extract the bullet and properly clean the wound before infection set in. It seems that Mystique had found something to cover it with as she was bringing you to me. And, if not for her speed, it could be much worse. There we go, bandages as clean as new-fallen snow." Louis had finished his task, neatly tying the ends of the bandage in a knot.  
  
Louis leaned over and retrieved something from his black bag. Kurt was a bit startled at first to see that it was a needle, but remembered the doctor mentioning a pain-killer.  
  
"Hold still, now," Louis instructed, "This will only take but a moment."  
  
And only a moment it was. Louis' hands must have experienced and calm, as Kurt hardly felt a thing while the needle punctured the skin on his left arm.  
  
"Thank you," Kurt murmured sleepily, rubbing his eyes with his right hand.  
  
"You're welcome, Lad," Louis replied, pulling the blanket back up past Kurt's shoulders and giving him a fatherly pat on the head before leaving the room.  
  
Kurt watched the door close with a smile. Maybe he could trust somebody here, after all.  
  
***  
  
Professor Xavier sighed as he looked at what remained of the X-Men. They had just returned from stopping a gang of about nine large men from robbing a bank. They all (except Wolverine) had a few scrapes and bruises, but Rogue had finished the battle with a hairline fracture in her left arm. She had been the most likely candidate for this in the first place, being the only who didn't have a means to destroy anything coming at her.  
  
"Does anyone know why this happened?" the professor asked, glancing at each of them in turn.  
  
"We weren't prepared?" Evan guessed.  
  
"Not really," the professor replied, "No matter how hard we try, we can't always be prepared, especially if the trouble is caused by someone besides the Brotherhood. Anyone else care to guess?"  
  
"We were to distracted," Jean sighed, "We're missing a teammate, so naturally we couldn't help but think of him and how much we missed and needed him."  
  
"You have most of it, Jean," the professor admitted, "And to continue what you said, you have all come to rely a great deal on him. I'm sure that if he had been there he could have teleported Rogue to safety. It's not bad that you rely on each other some, but counting on one another too much could be your downfall."  
  
"Sometimes you're safer bein' a loner," Logan murmured from the corner.  
  
Xavier sighed and massaged his temples. "You all might as well shower and get ready for bed. You've got a big day, going back to school tomorrow."  
  
Murmurs, whispers, and grumbling rose from the team as they made their way out. Facing the crowds the next day would be difficult, partly because they wouldn't be seeing their friend Kurt among the other students, and partly because they had to spread the lie that his parents had called him home, afraid for his safety due to the attack on the school. Only Amanda and Karl knew their secret. Amanda could keep it, but what about the gunman who was now in prison?  
  
***  
  
Mystique looked around the room quietly as she held her sleeping son. So many nights she had longed to hold her own child again, regretting that she had ever abandoned him. But perhaps now that would be made up for. Kurt might have been sleeping not knowing that he was resting on his birth mother's shoulder, but perhaps it was better that way. He might not have been so relaxed had he known.  
  
The blue-skinned female looked into her son's peaceful, angelic face and brushed a few loose hairs from his closed eyes. Was this the kind of moment that most mothers lived for? To have their child in their arms, watching them sleep? If it was, then it was certainly worth any mother's efforts.  
  
"Why did you have to be one of them," she heard herself whispering, "One of those who are soft, and strive to help mankind? Why must a mother be pitted against her son?"  
  
"Why are you one of Magneto's?" she heard Kurt's drowsy voice murmur in response. "Why are you misusing your powers to try and destroy all of humanity. why do you think we were put on this earth with them? To destroy them? No. if God had meant us to be alone on this planet, He could have annihilated the humans Himself."  
  
Mystique was quite shocked when she heard her son speaking, but listened to what he said. He truly had been raised a fool, thinking that God cared about mutants. She was certain that this God her son trusted in only cared about humans.  
  
"My poor son," she sighed, stroking his head, "You are so deceived. You believe that fantasy garbage that Xavier and you adoptive parents pour into your head. God only cares about the humans. We mean nothing to Him."  
  
"I can't believe that, Mother," Kurt responded, putting an unpleasant emphasis on the last word, "It's hard for me to believe anything you say." He started pulling away from her, cringing at the pain in his wound. Louis' injection must have been wearing off.  
  
Mystique sighed, allowing Kurt to sit up on his own, though he wavered a bit, feeling dizzy. Despite the fact that her patience was wearing thin with her stubborn son, Mystique helped him lay back down, and placed a cool cloth on his forehead. She leaned over as if about to kiss him on the cheek, but stopped herself and headed out the door.  
  
Now that Kurt was awake and alone, he had a chance to take a good look at his room, his prison. He noted an open door on the wall to his left, and strained to see inside it. It appeared to be a bathroom of sorts. He stopped a moment, reflecting. As far as he knew, he hadn't gotten out of bed since he'd been put in it. He'd been a sleep a good deal of the time, and now that he thought about it.  
  
Kurt stepped dizzily out of the small bathroom, clinging to the doorframe for support and trying to not pass-out. He had felt pretty strong sitting in bed, but he had never thought that walking could be so much trouble. He braced himself, took a deep breath, and made a mad dash for the bed. He could have teleported, but he had no idea what effect that might have on his battered body. Once he reached the bed, he wondered if leaping for it had been just as bad.  
  
Slowly but more carefully, he settled himself back into the bed and almost immediately fell asleep. As he drifted off, he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't seen any sign of the Brotherhood yet. He also wondered why Xavier was unable to mentally locate him.  
  
***  
  
Hey all! Kat Warrior here! I just want you all to know that there is plenty more to come, and that your comments are greatly appreciated. Not only that, but they greatly encourage me to write more! Thanks!  
  
~~Kat Warrior 


	4. Chapter Four: Curiosity Killed the Mutan...

Chains of Separation  
Part Four: Curiosity Killed the Mutant  
Kat Warrior OK, so this chapter focuses mainly on what's happening to Nightcrawler. I  
couldn't think of anything for the X-Men themselves, so get ready for  
plenty of Kurt-ness! If figure people would start coming after me if I  
didn't upload this is soon. ^_^;  
  
Kurt had woken up alone again after his nap, but gratefully so. He'd felt like a great deal of energy had been restored to him, and so had looked around his room some more. He had come across a rather small chest of drawers and decided to investigate. In it had been filled with various clothing articles, most of which had proven too big.  
  
In the end, he had decided on a bright green Hawaiian shirt with light colored flowers (much like one he owned), and a pair of extremely baggy khaki shorts that he'd had to hold up with a black leather belt. Now, to try the door.  
  
He wobbled as he walked up to the exit of his room, not really hoping for much. He turned the knob and was surprised to find it unlocked. Either Mystique seriously doubted he would have the strength to get up, or Louis had been in the room last and left it unlocked on purpose.  
  
Kurt cracked the door open and curiously poked his head out into a long hallway.  
  
***  
  
The prison was in an uproar as sirens went off and guards darted back and forth. A scantily-clad, blue-skinned, female mutant had been found on the premises, and was desperately being searched for. There was no telling what she was up to.  
  
Karl was sitting in his room looking like he was sulking but was actually feeling a bit cocky and relieved. So, Mystique had come to free him finally. That was good news. He just had to look calm until she arrived.  
  
A rat scurried into his cell, looking for crumbs and a place to hide from all the excitement. Karl was quite shocked when the rodent morphed itself into Mystique, but he smiled just the same.  
  
"So, you finally came to release me, huh?" he asked with a pleased, slightly suggestive grin. He stood and approached her.  
  
"You could say that", she purred, nearing him. Before Karl could blink, Mystique had pulled a dagger from her boot and driven it into his throat. "God said that death is a release for you humans, didn't He?" she hissed in his face.  
  
A small, gray rat darted out of the cell, leaving a bloodied corpse behind.  
  
Mystique felt suddenly refreshed as she morphed back into her usual self so the guards could see where she was and then morphed into an eagle and flew away in their plain viewing. The only thing the guards could look forward to was finding now a dead body in one of the cells.  
  
***  
  
Kurt, despite being slightly dizzy and tired, was finding his exploration of the fortress exciting. He guessed that they might be underground, as he hadn't found a single window. He knew it wouldn't be too long before he ran into one of the Brotherhood members.  
  
He turned a corner and found himself face-to-face with Pierto.  
  
"What are doing out here, Fur-ball?" the white-hared boy demanded, looking both surprised and irritated, "You're supposed to be in your room recovering or something like that."  
  
"My mind needed some exercise," Kurt replied, not able to think of a better excuse, "If you were locked in there with nothing to do, you might get bored, too."  
  
Kurt found himself edging slowly away from the one known as "Quicksilver", thinking that he might need a head start if he needed to run. Or he could risk teleporting in the strange building.  
  
"You're coming with me," Pierto insisted, taking a firm grip on the furry mutant's left arm. Kurt cringed as the other boy's hand came into harsh contact with the place where he'd received the injection from Louis.  
  
As they went, Kurt heard a sickeningly familiar voice say "What's up, yo? Did the prisoner get loose?"  
  
"He's not a prisoner, Todd," Quicksilver argued, "Mystique says he's our guest, remember? I found him in the hall and he seems to have lost his way. I'm being a good host and escorting him back to his room by a different route." His grip tightened and it was all Kurt could do to keep from yelping.  
  
"Then keep him blind-folded, yo!" Toad snapped, leaping onto Kurt's tired shoulders and putting his smelly hands over the blue mutant's eyes, "He can't see where he's going or he might do that 'BAMF' thing."  
  
"Not like he has anywhere to go," Lance's voice put in, "He doesn't know what it looks like outside of here. He's still stuck in the building. If he gets out again, we'll just bring him back. If he doesn't learn his lesson this time, we'll be good teachers and try to make him learn it again!"  
  
Toad laughed and sent Kurt flying forward as he leapt off his shoulders. Kurt grunted as he hit the ground face-first, and then wheezed through his clenched teeth at the new pain and pressure on his bullet wound.  
  
"Alright, that's enough," a stern, angry voice informed them. Everyone turned to see Louis standing in the hallway before them, looking rather frustrated. "Kurt's body can't handle any abuse right now, you know that."  
  
"Who put you in charge of us?" Lance demanded, preparing to shake the ground and knock the man over.  
  
"I suppose I did," Mystique's enraged voice informed them as she appeared out of seemingly nowhere, "I thought you boys were quite mature, but it seems that you do need a babysitter after all."  
  
The Brotherhood boys hung their heads in shame, but Mystique ignored them. She was too busy scooping Kurt up into her arms and carrying him to his room.  
  
"Come with me, doctor," she called over her shoulder, and Louis followed her.  
  
***  
  
After allowing Louis to open the door for her, Mystique charged into the room and quickly set Kurt on the bed. The young blue mutant moaned as he tried to open his eyes, but the pain was too much. He just couldn't open them.  
  
Louis didn't need to be told what to do. He rushed to the bedside with his black bag and began to pull Kurt's shirt away. Soon, he had cut off the bandages and was busy repairing the stitches and stopping the bleeding.  
  
The feeling in the air around Mystique was one of fury. She had just taken vengeance on the one who had shot her son in the first place, must she now dispense justice on the young mutants that looked up to her?  
  
"Don't be too hard on the boys," Louis suggested, "They're young and excitable. I'm sure that they won't do it again."  
  
Mystique closed her eyes and sighed, letting the anger seep out. She hated to admit it, but the old mutant was right. At the moment, she probably looked like an enraged young mother, fussing over how her son had been bullied.  
  
"I'm going to bed," she murmured, and began to rise. But something stopped her. She leaned over and, rather than pulling back, gave her son a kiss on the forehead. She gazed at him for a while, knowing that he was close in body, but so far away from her in heart, mind, and spirit that she could never reach him. She finally stood, and walked briskly out the door.  
  
Louis smiled and sighed, and went back to his work. Yes, Mystique really was no different from any other mother. She would rise to defend her son's honor and well-being, and would fret over him when he was hurt either physically or emotionally.  
  
"What's your power?" a voice practically whimpered. Louis looked down to see the still pain-filled Kurt looking back at him.  
  
"I can see people for what they are under their outer layers, if I choose. Not just metaphorically speaking, but they really appear to be something else when I look at them. Mystique just now, for example. I saw her not with her warrior-like attire and hard face, but in a pair of jeans and a regular t-shirt with her hair pulled back. I could see her pupils and plainly see how they shone like someone ready to cry. It's an odd gift. And you're quite the smart lad, aren't you?"  
  
"What. makes you say. that?" Kurt managed to ask.  
  
Louis kept talking to distract the boy from his pain. "You didn't ask if I was a mutant, but asked what my power was. You must have figured out that Mystique wouldn't trust an employee so much unless they were a mutant, too. There, the stitches are as good as new and the bleeding's stopped."  
  
Kurt lifted his head curiously to inspect the wound. Sure enough, it looked much like it had the first time he'd seen it, though a tad more red and swollen.  
  
In a very short time, Louis had re-bandaged Kurt and helped him lay back down.  
  
"You've only eaten once or twice the whole time you've been here," Louis observed, standing up, "Would you like me to bring you something to eat?"  
  
For the first time, Kurt realized that he was rather hungry. Maybe that was why he had been so weak.  
  
"Yes, please," he said earnestly, "And I'm not picky. I'll eat whatever you have."  
  
Louis smiled and went out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.  
  
***  
  
Mystique stood silently in the doorway of her son's room, her frame casting a dark shadow over his bed as he slept, unaware of her presence. A fan was going on the chest of drawers, giving the room a refreshing, cool feeling. Kurt had been quite warm and so Louis had suggested the fan. The boy obviously still was warm, as the blankets came only to about his waist now.  
  
"You should have seen him eat," Louis murmured with amusement. "He's been here three days, and that's only the third time he's eaten anything. I'm surprised he didn't tell us about his hunger pains, but he has been asleep most of the time, and possibly felt too tired and ill to know he was hungry."  
  
"We can't let that happen again," the blue female mutant murmured, "Make sure that he eats at least once a day. I might not be a doctor, but I know that if he doesn't eat, he can't possibly get better." With that, she turned and left.  
  
Louis smiled as he watched her go. Once again he saw her not as a fierce, heartless warrior, but as a loving, devoted mother watching after her son in her own odd ways. He turned and look upon her son, seeing him not as a trapped, wounded teenage boy, but a young child curled up peacefully in a bed in a cheery bed-room.  
  
"You don't belong here, Lad," he sighed, as he turned and shut the door, shaking his head. 


	5. Chapter Five: While Mystique's Away

Chains of Separation  
Part Five: While Mystique's Away.  
Kat Warrior I'm pretty sure I said this last time but oh well. This focuses pretty much on Kurt and the Brotherhood. Also: This contains no slash/ yaoi material. Kurt and Amanda are a couple in my eyes. I will reveal some of my religious beliefs here, but only briefly and I'm not preaching; it's an added element  
to the story, and keep in mind that Kurt IS Catholic!  
  
Elizabeth sighed as she fingered her uniform. At last, she had earned her official X-Men attire and was a member of the team. Her dream of using her power to wield and manipulate electricity to help people had finally come true. The only problem was that Kurt hadn't been there to see her advance from a trainee to a member. That was truly a shame because it was he that she had spent a good deal of time training under, and he that had encouraged her to try her best but enjoy the journey.  
  
"I wish you were here," she murmured, clinging tightly to the uniform, no longer admiring the violet shoulder armor and the X pendant that acted as a brooch. She really did miss him, and wanted him to see her in her uniform. After all, she couldn't have done it without him.  
  
***  
  
Most of the Brotherhood sat idly in the lounge of their base, listening to what Pierto was saying.  
  
"You all know that Mystique and the doc stepped out for pretty much the day, and that makes me in charge since I am, after all, Magneto's son. Mystique also told us to make sure the fuzz-ball doesn't escape and has something to eat, so my first act as temporary leader will be to appoint Toad his keeper for today."  
  
Todd's head shot up and his eyes went wide.  
  
"You want me to look after the elf?" he cried, "That fuzz-ball hates me!"  
  
"He hates all of us," Lance reminded him.  
  
"Don't question me!" Pierto snapped haughtily, "Just get to work. You need to stay outside his door and make sure he doesn't try anything."  
  
Grumbling and cursing, Todd grabbed his hand-held game system and stomped off in the general direction of Kurt's room ***  
  
Kurt snarled and rolled over again. He wasn't tired at all, and had nothing to do. He was quite convinced that Mystique was trying to break him by making him bored out of his mind.  
  
He sat up, quite convinced that he wasn't going back to sleep. He looked himself over and decided to try and bathe in the small bathroom. He braced himself, and teleported his way there.  
  
He felt a momentary dizziness, but quickly regained his composure and began to fill the small, beat-up tub with warm water.  
  
"I must be losing the hang of my teleporting," he thought, "I haven't done it for a few days, so I guess that's reasonable. I need to get back into practice!" He turned his head in startled curiosity when he heard a knock on the door.  
  
"Coming!" he called as he rushed to slip on his boxers and t-shirt before teleporting over to the door. He was even more startled when he opened it and found Toad.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked, slightly bitter.  
  
"I've been put in the position of your care-taker for a while just to let ya know. You OK in there?"  
  
"Peachy," was the blue-furred boy's reply, "I'll let you know if I need anything." Without another word, he shut the door and teleported back into the small bathroom. Once there, he quickly searched the room for surveillance equipment. Convinced that he had complete privacy, Kurt was finally able to get into the tub.  
  
***  
  
About ten o' clock, Todd glanced at his watch.  
  
"He must be hungry by now," he thought, "Since I'm stuck taking care of him, I guess I'll hop down to the kitchen and find him something. What do fuzzy elves eat, anyway?"  
  
Before long, Todd arrived in the kitchen. He found Tabitha there, guzzling down a Tangerine Smash soda.  
  
"Yo," Todd greeted as he entered, "Listen, could you do me a favor?"  
  
Tabitha raised a curios eyebrow at him.  
  
"Uh, I think the fuzz-ball might be getting hungry, so I thought I should bring him something. Problem is, I don't know what furry elves like to eat."  
  
Tabitha laughed. "The same thing almost everyone else does. Here, I'll put something together, but remember that I'm doing it for Blue, not you, got it?"  
  
Todd nodded and hopped up onto a counter to watch her. She rounded up some crackers, cheese, and meat and made them into about five little sandwiches and grabbed some strawberries, a Tangerine Smash, and an orange-crème pop sickle.  
  
"That should hold him over for a little while at least," she said, placing the meal on a tray and handing it to Todd. "Now try not to spill it or breathe on it, OK?"  
  
But Todd wasn't really listening. He was hopping away, calling a "Thanks!" over his shoulder.  
  
***  
  
Kurt looked up from toweling off his hair and fur when he heard a knock on the door. He pulled on some clothing and rushed to the door again, grumbling. Why wouldn't Toad just let him be?  
  
"Yes?" he asked with irritation as he opened the door again.  
  
"Brought you somethin' to eat," Todd informed him, holding out the tray, "Enjoy!"  
  
"Um. thanks." Kurt stuttered. The last thing he had expected was Todd to remember to feed him. He looked at the shorter boy a moment, not sure what to say.  
  
"Better eat it before it gets cold or somethin'," Todd insisted, trying to bring the furry boy back from wherever his mind had wondered.  
  
"Of. of course! Thanks." Kurt ducked back into his room and closed the door gently. He was still surprised that Todd was actually taking care of him. Sure the boy smelled bad and had horrible eating habits and manners. He might have been a member of the Brotherhood, but maybe he wasn't all bad.  
  
"Perhaps he just needs someone to be kind to him," Kurt considered aloud as he started eating, "Maybe that's why he joined the Brotherhood. he wanted somewhere to fit in."  
  
***  
  
Kurt quietly poked his head outside the door curiously, wondering if Todd had gotten bored and left. No, there he sat faithfully, guarding his post and playing a noisy pocket-game.  
  
"Hey," Kurt greeted quietly.  
  
Todd practically leapt out of his skin when he suddenly heard a voice behind him. He turned around quickly, his eyes wide.  
  
"You almost gave me a heart attack, yo!" he cried, "What's the deal?"  
  
"Sorry," Kurt replied, trying not to laugh, "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment."  
  
"You know that I can't let you outta there."  
  
"Ja, I know. You don't have to. I'll just stand here in the doorway. I wanted to thank you for being so considerate as to bring me something to eat. and I wanted to ask you something. Why did you join the Brotherhood?"  
  
Todd was quiet a moment, and then said "Some kids got it good, yo. You don't have to worry about fitting in 'cause you got that holo-thing to hide being a mutant. I can't hide it, and I can't fit anywhere but here. I'm a loner, yo. No one needs the Toad's friendship and the Toad doesn't need theirs."  
  
"Aren't Pierto, Lance, Tabitha, and Fred your friends?" Kurt dared to ask, opening the door a little more and sitting down on the floor.  
  
"Nah. But this is the easiest place for me to fit in. None o' them would risk one hair on their heads for me, but at least I got a home. No one loves the Toad."  
  
"Jesus loves the outcasts," Kurt informed him quietly, "He loves the ones the world just loves to hate."  
  
"Really?" Todd asked, "Mystique says that God or Jesus person of yours only loves humans."  
  
Kurt sighed, thinking of an answer. Finally, he had one. "My mother is quite blinded. She's let her hatred get in the way of truth and--"  
  
The ground shook and the door closed, ending the conversation between the two mutants.  
  
"What'd you do that for?" Todd demanded angrily of Lance, hopping to his feet and glaring at the taller boy.  
  
"I don't want that fuzz-ball brainwashing you," Lance snarled, "I'm just doing what Mystique wants, so I can't let Nightcrawler say something like that about her, especially if he's trying to change one of my teammates."  
  
Todd smiled a little. Maybe one of his teammates cared about him, after all.  
  
***  
  
Kurt sighed and hung his head. He had been so close to making a new friend, and possibly brining a new member to the X-Men, and more importantly making Todd's life much better.  
  
Maybe he would be able to reach Todd at another time and in a different, safer environment, but not now. Perhaps it was not the time that God had intended. At least he had given Todd some hope.  
  
Kurt got up slowly and ambled over to his bed. He was tired and his wound was sore, and he had nothing to do besides. He might as well just sleep.  
  
He crawled onto the bed and under the blankets. Once settled, he stared at the ceiling for a long time, thinking of his dear friends back at the institute and of Amanda. His dear Amanda. would he ever get see her again? It was becoming rather difficult for him to believe so.  
  
"Dear Amanda," he thought as he drifted off, "Please don't forget me. I will try to come back to you." 


	6. Chapter Six: A Dream and Yet

Chains of Separation  
Part Six: A Dream and Yet.  
Kat Warrior  
  
OK, this chapter is the longest because it's the last! Enjoy and © crud is  
at the end. Kurt woke with a sharp cry and sweat trickling down his face. His amber eyes were wide open, his pupils like button-slits. He sat up for a long time, trying to calm his breathing and racing heart.  
  
"It was just a dream," he tried to tell himself, "The most horrible dream." But he couldn't help but feel that it was so much more than that. He had seen Amanda as clearly as if she had been right beside him, walking down a narrow street. He had recognized it as the clean little alley behind the park fence and about a block away from her house.  
  
Amanda had walked along quietly with her backpack until shadows had started chasing her. She had seen them and started to run, but it was no use. The shadows had caught up to her and covered her, sucking her into their darkness and consuming her. "KURT!" she had cried desperately as she vanished, "KURT! Save me!"  
  
***  
  
"Yo, Liz," Evan called out as he passed the furry purple girl in the hall, "Are you busy?"  
  
"No," she replied with a shrug, "Why?"  
  
"I was wondering if you could help me out. See, the power's out and I can't play my game."  
  
"So you want me to be an electricity source so you can play your video game?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Sure! I've got respect for any guy brave enough to admit he needs help!"  
  
Xavier smiled as he watched those two and other students walking to and fro on the institute grounds. They were all recovering nicely from Kurt's death and slowly edging their way back to normal, happy teenagers, which was a surprise since Kurt had been taken from them a week ago that day. As far as he knew, they had all handled school surprisingly well. Of course, the moment a good deal of them, like Kitty or Liz, stepped in the doors of their rooms, they broke down. Hiding their grief of losing someone so close to them was hard, indeed.  
  
"I'm sorry children," he sighed, "But there is nothing I can do but hope that you all become stronger through this."  
  
***  
  
Kurt peered under his bedroom door to see a pair of rather large feet. Yes, someone was guarding his room. Mystique still didn't trust him, which was good. She couldn't.  
  
He glanced once more at the digital clock by his bed and at the day calendar. It was nearly two thirty in the afternoon on a Friday. He'd been stuck in this prison for a week.  
  
He had convinced himself that Amanda really did need him, and that escape was mandatory. Now he just had to get out. He closed his eyes and thought back to the one time he had escaped. He concentrated on the area he had been farthest from his room, and teleported.  
  
When Kurt looked about him, he was right where he had hoped. Now he just had to find the exit. With halls so confusing as this, surely there was some sort of sign.  
  
He grunted when something impacted with his from the front, slamming him into something warm and soft behind him.  
  
The furry blue mutant looked up to see Blob towering over him, and almost immediately wrapping his arms around him to keep him from escaping.  
  
"We tried once," Pierto's voice growled, "But you're just too stubborn to realize you're better off in your own room." He walked up to Kurt until they were face to face. "Now we'll make sure you stay in that room for a nice, long time. Come on, Blob, let's 'escort' him back."  
  
"NO!" Kurt cried in protest, forcing his elbows back into Fred's stomach. The large boy grunted and instinctively released him. Once freed, Kurt darted around a corner and teleported to somewhere near his room, hoping to confuse Pierto.  
  
He wound up just around the corner from his door, and peeked around to see that Lance was guarding the post. It was a good thing that Mystique wasn't there, or his escape would be impossible. He concentrated and teleported to a spot several yards on the other side of Lance. Maybe the exit was that way.  
  
He teleported and ran down several halls, paying no mind to his pain or exhaustion. The only thing on his mind was saving Amanda from approaching doom. He stopped short when he spied a large door at the end of a hall way. The words "Emergency Exit" were printed neatly above its frame. He teleported to the end of the hall, and quietly tried the door.  
  
"Typical" he murmured as an alarm started to go off. Surely everyone knew where he was now, and it would only be a matter of moments before Pierto was there to retrieve him. He pushed at the heavy door all he could and managed to pry it open about an inch. That was good news... now he could see to teleport outside it.  
  
Within milliseconds, Kurt was on the outside of the door, trying not to admire his surroundings while escaping. The fortress really was underground, and the passages outside the building looked like a gigantic mole had dug them. At the end of one, he spied an elevator. He teleported to it, stepped in, and smacked the "Top" button as hard as he could.  
  
Pierto came whizzing around the corner in time to see the elevator taking off towards the surface. Swearing, he took off again and reached the elevator. He smacked the "down" command several times with no result. Swearing loudly, he continued to wait for the elevator's return. He would do almost anything to get Kurt back into the fortress. After all, he didn't want to have to tell Mystique that her son had escaped.  
  
By the time Pierto had reached the surface on the elevator, Kurt was long gone. He couldn't even find the left over smoke from the teleporting, and the smell of brimstone was faint on the air.  
  
He shook his head and got back in the elevator. Mystique would not be pleased.  
  
***  
  
Amanda sighed as she walked along the alley behind the park on her way home. alone. it would have been so nice if Kurt was there to walk her home like in the old days, but he wasn't, and never would be again. She sniffled and wiped a tear away. She couldn't cry again. she had to be able to see to get home.  
  
She turned her head when she heard footsteps behind her. She caught a glance of a dark leather jacket, and started running.  
  
"Boy was that stupid," she thought as she ran, "I should have taken the main road! But no. I wanted time to think and took the back road!"  
  
It had already been raining, and now the rain started falling harder, like bullets striking all in their path. Amanda slipped and fell, her lunch box sent flying. She struggled to get up, not worrying about her fallen lunch- pail. She could come back for it later or get a new one.  
  
"Where are you goin', Hottie?" a gruff, cruel voice asked. Amanda looked up in terror to see a rather tall, rough-looking man blocking her path. With one quick movement, he reached down and grabbed her thin wrist.  
  
Amanda cried out in protest and struggled all she could but it was no use. Her attacker had a firm grip on her arm.  
  
"Stop screaming," he hissed, lowering his ugly face to her level, "No one's coming to save you."  
  
"I would release her gently, were I you" an enraged but controlled voice commented from the shadows. Amanda and her attacker stood as if frozen in space to look at the lean, blue-furred boy with a demon-like tail and abnormally shaped feet emerge from behind some garbage cans.  
  
Amanda's attacker stood in shock for only a moment before saying, "You don't scare me, Freak. I know that you're one of those mutant weirdoes! Well, I'm not gonna let you interfere with my plans!"  
  
The brute released Amanda and dove for the furry blue mutant, but Kurt was ready for him. He teleported just in time, and landed on the big man's shoulders. Despite the brute's struggle, Kurt wrapped his long tail around one of his wrists, and his legs around his neck.  
  
The large man gagged and gasped for air until Kurt leapt off his shoulders, landing painfully but gracefully on the ground in front of him.  
  
"Come and get me," he taunted, "If you can catch your breath, you imbecile."  
  
"You're dead!" the brute all but screamed, diving for him again. Kurt didn't even bother teleporting this time, but hopped up at the last second, landed on his opponent's head, and launched off again, sending him nose- first into the pavement.  
  
Kurt turned and faced Amanda, panting so hard he could have hyperventilated. The pain in his chest was enough that he wanted to scream, but he bit it back. He continued to gaze at Amanda, his eyes glazed from both exhaustion and the tears threatening to spill.  
  
"Amanda," he murmured softly, walking towards her slowly, his arms held out.  
  
Amanda stood stiff, looking as if she had seen a ghost. She wasn't so certain that she hadn't. As he came to her, she could feel a lump rising in her throat and tears spilling, but her legs just wouldn't move. Suddenly, she felt very dizzy and weak in the knees.  
  
Kurt grunted as he caught Amanda while she fainted. But he lifted her into both arms and held her tightly, sobbing into her silky, dark hair. He had missed her so much, and now he finally had her back.  
  
But as much as he wanted to stand there for an eternity holding her, he couldn't. His weakness had caught up with him. He had to kneel as he prepared himself to teleport home.  
  
***  
  
Scott glanced up from his place by the fountain with Jean as he saw a familiar puff of smoke, and a figure coming with it. He stood, squinting for a moment before charging of the general direction of the figure.  
  
"Scott?" Jean called, as she rose and started following him. She didn't ask what was going on, but searched his mind himself to discover that he had seen something that looked like Kurt's teleporting. Jean realized that his theory was right when she picked up a very familiar mental wave.  
  
"Kurt!" Scott exclaimed upon seeing the familiar, blue-furred boy, "Kurt it really is you! Man, you look like--"  
  
"I. know." Kurt moaned as he struggled to stand with Amanda still in his arms.  
  
"Whoa! Easy there, Kurt," Scott protested as he eased the younger boy into a sitting position on the ground, "Just hold on a minute and we'll get you taken care of. And Amanda, too."  
  
"I'll take Amanda in," Jean volunteered, "But I can't hold both of them. she unconscious and will be hard enough by herself."  
  
Scott knelt down and tried to take Amanda from Kurt's arms. The blue boy whimpered and struggled to keep a hold of her. This worried both Scott and Jean. he was slipping out of coherence and possibly consciousness.  
  
"Come on, Kurt," Scott beckoned and tried to reason, "Let Jean take her inside. We'll take good care of her."  
  
With one last pitiful whimper and a defeated sigh, Kurt released the dark- skinned girl and collapsed on the ground. As carefully as he could, Scott scooped him up and jogged for the building.  
  
***  
  
Hank sighed as he continued working with Kurt's chest wound. The boy wasn't sedated, but Hank had done what he could and given him something to numb the wounded area. The wound, (though it had to be re-opened, cleaned, drained, and re-stitched) had been sewn together quite well before hand. Mystique had taken rather good care of him, or tried anyway. What really concerned Hank was how warm Kurt was, and the mental instability he seemed to be suffering. He was trying to toss and turn, even on the operating table, and kept calling Amanda's name.  
  
"Kurt, calm down!" Hank instructed urgently but gently, "You're going to make this worse. Please!" He rested a large hand on the boy's forehead. He didn't have any power over mentality but he pleaded, anyway. "Calm down!"  
  
"Amanda!" Kurt cried again, struggling. Didn't he know that Amanda was safe and sound? He had brought her there, after all.  
  
"I can sense his distress from anywhere in the mansion," Xavier's voice informed him as the bald man wheeled into the room, "Amanda is awake now, so I think she ought to come in here. I'll have Jean bring her in."  
  
Hank nodded and continued trying to work. Amanda might not like what she saw, but this was the only way.  
  
***  
  
In nearly no time, Jean was pushing Amanda in the medical labs in a wheel chair. Her hair was dried and combed, and she was wearing some of Jean's clean, dry clothes. She could have been walking on her own, but the professor didn't want to take any risks.  
  
"Oh Kurt!" she cried, leaning forward just as they approached the table, "Kurt, I didn't know you were injured!" She found his large, velvety hand and took it in hers and started gently stroking it. "Kurt, you have to be calm. don't worry, I'm right here with you."  
  
"Amanda?" he called in confusion, looking up at her with glazed, confused eyes that softened when he saw her.  
  
"Yes," she soothed, stroking his cheek with a solitary finger, "I'm here, now. I'm alive and well thanks to you. Thank you so much. for coming back to me." she stopped and wiped a tear from her eye.  
  
"You're welcome," he told her with a slight smile, as he reached up and softly brushed another tear off her face. He wasn't able to bring his hand back down because she reached up and held it there. His fur was so soft. so fine. it reminded her of a rabbit.  
  
"I'm done," Hank announced, not wanting to interrupt the two young lovers, "Jean, why don't you take Amanda to Kurt's room? I'll follow you with Kurt."  
  
***  
  
Kurt couldn't help but smile with contentment once he was back in his own bed. The bed and room that were so familiar to him, and the beautiful view of the city. To top it all off, Amanda was at his bedside, holding his hand.  
  
"Amanda. he murmured, shifting in his slightly upright position, "I. The whole time I was gone, I couldn't help but think how much I wanted to tell you that. That I love you."  
  
Amanda was surprised a moment, but smiled softly and put her arms carefully around him, "I love you, too, Kurt," she managed without a stutter, making it obvious that she had longed to tell him the same.  
  
There was a knock on the door, and the two turned as Kurt called out for the visitor to enter.  
  
Liz bounded in, and looked right at Kurt. She didn't even call his name, but darted over to his bed a top speed. Kurt was afraid she would tackle him and accidentally hurt him, but she didn't. She somehow managed enough control to not do that.  
  
She walked slowly the rest of the way to him, and plopped down on the edge of the bed, never taking her eyes off him. She, too, looked like she'd seen a ghost. She wasn't convinced it was really him until he held open his arms to her. With a heartfelt sob, she leaned into him, but avoided his wound.  
  
"It's OK," Kurt told her, "I'm here to stay."  
  
"And we're all very glad you are," Amanda informed him as she leaned over and planted a loving kiss on Kurt's cheek. Then she added with a smile, "We're not letting you out of our site, either."  
  
THE END  
  
Credits, etc: All characters but Liz, Karl, and Louis are © to Marvel and/or Warner Bros.  
  
Note: Louis can't only change what he sees, but can make others see what he does. Not quite what Master Mind does, but very close.  
  
Preview: Yes, a preview. I already have my next story planned! Liz starts slowly going insane, and is becoming a hazard not only to others but herself. This might sound like it's all about my character, BUT IT'S NOT! This is mostly about how Kurt sees and handles the whole thing. What do you think? Should I try writing his accent in that one? Please, let me know! 


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